Ask Our Auto Mechanics

March 2, 2013, 12:00 pm

Joe C

Question: 2000 Malibu 3100 Electrical Problems

Hi,
I have a 2000 Malibu 3100 with an electrical issue. I get error codes P0443 and P0449.

Starting a few months ago I was having issues getting the fuel pump to come on; the gas guage would go up and down for 10-30 seconds or so and finally when the pump kicked on the gas levels would come up. This prompted me to bring it to a garage try to get it fixed. They supposedly replaced ignition switch (not the key portion) and we picked it up and they charged upwards of $300. A day after we brought it home I started it up and while the fuel pump did indeed come right on, the gas guage didn't work, there was no gear selected on the dash panel (miles and gears were there but no gear was highlighted), no power is seemingly going to the HVAC system as not even the recycle/non-recycle lights are on (nor does the blower work). This is when the engine light came on (engine light was not on before we took it to the garage). Also, the idling RPM is up to 2000 and slowly comes down to normal, which is close to 1000. In addition, the headlights are not coming on while in the garage (in the dark) like they should be.

Not wanting to pay the garage more money, we bought a code reader to get the codes, and searched the internet and found out that these two codes (listed above) and the other issues are likely to do with a faulty ignition switch. So, we took the dash apart and got out the ignition switch and the ignition lock (key) cylinder. Now, we are unsure what to do from here to fix the problem. If anybody has any idea on what might be going on or how this problem could be resolved, that would be extremely appreciated. If you need any other details, I'd be happy to provide them.

Thank you in advance!
NOTE: When we took the ignition switch off, we noticed that the cable going into the back side was very loose, though would not actually come out unless we put in the key and turned to the "on" position. I don't know if this is normal or not. The vehicle also has a tilt steering wheel.

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